Looking at the screenshots, I am pleased, because like Vista to Windows 7 is about finesse, the same follows in Office, UI wise. The ribbon now unifies the operating system, with the business world by using the same control.

I would be interested to see how much they have changed navigating Outlook for instance, with it now having the Ribbon (though the non-calendar view may not have it)?

Looking at the screenshots, I am pleased, because like Vista to Windows 7 is about finesse, the same follows in Office, UI wise. The ribbon now unifies the operating system, with the business world by using the same control.

I would be interested to see how much they have changed navigating Outlook for instance, with it now having the Ribbon (though the non-calendar view may not have it)?

I hope the revamp of Outlook extends down into the byzantine configuration dialogs. It's not like I can remember where anything is anyways, so it won't hurt if they rearrange it all.

Looking at the screenshots, I am pleased, because like Vista to Windows 7 is about finesse, the same follows in Office, UI wise. The ribbon now unifies the operating system, with the business world by using the same control.

I would be interested to see how much they have changed navigating Outlook for instance, with it now having the Ribbon (though the non-calendar view may not have it)?

You're calling this "finesse", but I don't like it at all. I think Ribbon is a bad idea. Tabbed toolbar, ugh! Office UI has become a total mess, an intimidating set of obscure UI elements—buttons of all sorts and shapes, clickable links and who
knows what kind of other new trendy controls with various inconsistent drop-downs and pop-ups. Here's an idea for the MS UI experts: maybe not all functions available in your software should be represented as toolbar buttons. I tried using the new Office for
Mac and had difficulty finding functionality I needed because my workflow was seemingly different from what Office UI designers thought was the right one. At this stage of its development Office is a waste of time for me. I now use Pages for simple documents
and LaTeX for complex ones.

It looks like Visio has finally aligned itself with the rest of Office, in version 14. Now the question becomes whether it basically the Ribbon and some new diagrams and some minor polishing of old diagrams or whether it is based on a new engine, possibly
WPF. It's not really as nice to work with as one would want. The Ribbon will help a little. A new "diagram engine" surely also.

It just needs to respect the overall UX of the OS. Color is branding. It's useful.

Just spotted this in the first screenshot:

Create Mobile Office Device

Take Office with you! DoubleClick here to create a USB Office device.

Could be useful, especially if you can use a USB device to work with a full version of Office on any machine (an end to the issue of not having the correct version of Office available on a machine and not having the privileges to install the converter
pack).

All it needs to do now is respect system color settings and I'll die a happy man.

(Sorry dupe - looked like my previous posts were lost. I refreshed several times here and did not see them.)

Color does not disrupt geometry. It does not mess with the overall UX. Rather it helps distinguish between applications, giving them a distinct, yet familiar look and feel. Also the new "colors of Windows 7" are very soft and easy on the eyes and the transition
between them is soft and easy.

I wonder more about Visio 14. It now has the Ribbon control, which is great, but does it have more streamlined diagrams and graphics. Visio 13 leaves something to be desired, to be honest - although it is possible to make smooth graphics with it.

Is Visio 14 using MIL or WPF. Is it using a new graphics engine or will it basically be the Ribbon plus some new diagrams and diagram extensions. That's really my main concern there.

(Sorry dupe - looked like my previous posts were lost. I refreshed several times here and did not see them.)

Color does not disrupt geometry. It does not mess with the overall UX. Rather it helps distinguish between applications, giving them a distinct, yet familiar look and feel. Also the new "colors of Windows 7" are very soft and easy on the eyes and the transition
between them is soft and easy.

I wonder more about Visio 14. It now has the Ribbon control, which is great, but does it have more streamlined diagrams and graphics. Visio 13 leaves something to be desired, to be honest - although it is possible to make smooth graphics with it.

Is Visio 14 using MIL or WPF. Is it using a new graphics engine or will it basically be the Ribbon plus some new diagrams and diagram extensions. That's really my main concern there.

A completely different question: Is "Quadrant" the basis for a new Visio? - Looks like there's some overlap there.

You're calling this "finesse", but I don't like it at all. I think Ribbon is a bad idea. Tabbed toolbar, ugh! Office UI has become a total mess, an intimidating set of obscure UI elements—buttons of all sorts and shapes, clickable links and who knows
what kind of other new trendy controls with various inconsistent drop-downs and pop-ups. Here's an idea for the MS UI experts: maybe not all functions available in your software should be represented as toolbar buttons. I tried using the new Office for Mac
and had difficulty finding functionality I needed because my workflow was seemingly different from what Office UI designers thought was the right one. At this stage of its development Office is a waste of time for me. I now use Pages for simple documents and
LaTeX for complex ones.

I am probably more excited about this then windows 7. 2007 was huge for productivity so looking forward to see what this next version brings.

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